Robot helps fine joinery and washroom business improve its processes

JCM Fine Joinery already uses Computer Aided Design for its manufacturing, computer-controlled cutting and Computer Numerical Control router machinery but wanted to digitise some elements of its processing operations.

Nat said: “I had done some work previously with the Black Country Growth Hub and it is great to have built relationships with business support agencies that keep you in mind when schemes such as Made Smarter are launched.

“The timing of the start of Made Smarter was really fortuitous because inside the business, we were going through a very big programme of change to adapt to new processes as we wanted to improve productivity to become more efficient.”

She contacted Jit Gatcha, Digital Transformation Specialist at Made Smarter for the Black Country, who she already knew, and he came to chat to her about the programme in more detail.

Jit then organised for Nasar Jockey from WMG centre High Value Manufacturing Catapult at the University of Warwick, one of Made Smarter’s strategic partners, to visit to carry out a ‘digital roadmap’ assessment. 

Nat said: “The majority of our customers are based in the UK although last year we manufactured washroom cubicles for Tamale International Airport in Ghana.

“Our machining services include cutting, sanding and edge-banding which gives a smooth, sealed finish and this was an area we wanted to look at becoming quicker to reduce our lead times for our customers.

“Previously, the sanding element had been completed manually which as well as being monotonous and boring for those carrying out the work was time-consuming.”

Nasar Jockey, Principal Engineer at WMG, University of Warwick, said: “Unlike some other SMEs, JCM was fairly clear that to fulfil their aggressive growth targets, automation would be a key contributor and had a fair idea of what automation would be required in their digitalisation journey to unlock capacity and improve safety.”

Nat and Jit worked together on completing an application form to apply for a maximum grant of £20,000 for JCM Fine Joinery from the West Midlands Made Smarter scheme for a particular piece of technology.

Nat explained: “We had already identified that we wanted to introduce a robot arm for our sanding processes since it would speed up the manufacturing element of the procedures.

“We had decided we were going to go ahead when the time was right but then I found out about the grant support from Made Smarter so it made perfect timing to go proceed.

“When Made Smarter and WMG came to the site and carried out their analysis about how we could work smarter, they verified that the robot arm was going to be the best way forward to achieve the results we wanted. 

“Covid wasn’t in anyone’s business plans but we stayed open throughout the lockdowns. We came through that period and we remained profitable throughout. After carrying out the due diligence, we decided to go for it.” 

Nasar added: “From our positive experience with Universal Robots (UR) Cobots on the WMG campus and from the simulation carried out, it was evident that UR Cobot was a suitable and versatile solution to meet their sanding needs and was also a credible digital pilot to kickstart a smart factory journey for JCM.”

Nat said the robot arm – which has been affectionately nicknamed Sid by all the staff at JCM Fine Joinery – is now in operation and is already exceeding its targets.

“It is a collaborative robot which means we can operate safely around the machine without a cage being utilised,” she said.

“It has a specialist sanding head which carries out the sanding since we have a process involved in the manufacturing where you have to do sanding on a particular material called solid grade laminate. 

“Through the grant application for Made Smarter, we calculated how many hours it would save us to make us work smarter.

“We were conservative in our estimates and it has way exceeded our figures by some margin so we are delighted with the outcome.

“We invested £40,000 on top of the £20,000 grant and it has been money well spent.”

Nat was full of praise for Jit’s encouragement and support and believes the robot arm will prove to be a wise investment.

She said: “Jit was fantastic. He had a great understanding of JCM Fine Joinery and our digital requirements. 

“I see Jit as one of those people who are an ambassador for JCM and he has helped us navigate the whole process superbly.

“Over the coming months, I think we will see a real difference in the time taken for sanding and who knows, Sid may get a robotic friend in the future to improve other parts of our manufacturing processes as we secure more work.”

Jaspal Sohal, Director of the Black Country Growth Hub, said “The Growth Hub team has worked with Nat for many months on several initiatives. We knew JCM was a perfect candidate for the Made Smarter programme, and we’re really pleased they were able to be supported with a grant to further their manufacturing processes.”